Geek USA
by Teargarden dreams
Summary: They give into the disease of their needs, embarking on a journey to shun popularity and the rest of the world. Nobody said it would be this easy and this torturous. [Reiner/Bertholdt, 90s/high school AU. For the SnK Kink meme.]


**_Summary_**: They give into the disease of their needs, embarking on a journey to shun popularity and the rest of the world. Nobody said it would be this easy and this torturous. [Reiner/Bertholdt, 90s/high school AU]

**Pairings**: Reiner/Bert; others to be decided

**Notes**: Another filled request on the SnK DW kink meme: OP wanted a high school AU mainly focusing on a geeky/awkward, cute romance between Reiner and Bertholdt (Bert for short). I decided to go for a 90s high school AU because, why not? I love the 90s! Bert, Reiner and Annie are seniors, Eren and Armin are sophomores, and Mikasa is a junior (since she was intelligent enough to skip one grade). Reviews are appreciated.

(Also, the ever important _disclaimer_: I don't own SnK!)

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**/GEEK USA.**

**01. **_**stand or fall**_**./**

'OK,' Eren said, his voice both mocking and full of humorous disbelief, 'the captain of the rugby team is seriously blushing like a little pansy right now over Bert.'

Eren had seen this play out way too many times before in their school's hallways, and he could recognize this scene anywhere - the awkward way Reiner had jammed his hands in his pockets and was looking from the floor to Bert's face, the way he kept shuffling with his shoes and then rubbing the back of his neck, trying to keep it casual-cool but failing miserably... oh yes, this was a confession, boys and girls, of someone's undying love. Or something close to that. Whatever.

Either way, this was hilarious as fuck, and Eren felt like he had won the jackpot when he had overheard something about 'going out to see a game' coming from the end of the hallway from these two. He had ducked around the corner, trying to keep a steady hold on his books, before they were caught. ('They' being himself and his best friend Armin, since they had both been going to lunch together before stumbling across this gold mine.)

Armin tried to get a better look, but was admittedly a little afraid of being caught. '_Bert_!' Eren hissed again in delight, shaking Armin's shoulder for emphasis.

'Ow,' Armin muttered defensively, glaring at Eren a little from where he crouched next to him.

'Do you have your camera on you? I mean, we could try to steal that one that they keep in the room for morning announcements if we hurry-'

'Eren, they are going to hear you,' Mikasa said bluntly, sneaking up on them both. Eren flinched when she gave his arm an affectionate (and also painful as fuck) brother-sister pinch and bit his bottom lip to keep from crying out in agony. Jesus, she could always appear out of nowhere and scare the shit out of him. It gave him the wiggins (…yes, he was a closet Buffy fan, though only Armin was trusted with this precious knowledge). Eren was tempted to ask '_Um, seriously, what the fuckity fuck_?' but he kept his mouth shut and settled on rubbing his arm to ease the smarting. He didn't want anyone to hear him.

Armin figured now would be as good of a time as any to flee toward the lunchroom, but he didn't want Eren calling him an 'atomic pussy' again for another two weeks. That would be more annoying than getting threatened by a stupid meathead like Reiner, since Eren had the biggest mouth in their entire grade.

'That'll teach you for spying.'

'H-hey!' Eren said, rubbing his arm as his eyes watered (involuntarily!). 'You're doing it too!'

Mikasa merely shrugged and ducked behind the corner, just before Reiner looked back in confusion to see if someone was around. Her reflex instantly shut Eren up, and he tried to keep quiet as he duked down and leaned against a locker. No way was he going to be caught this far into the game. This was just way too freaking good to miss.

'...Coast clear?' Eren asked uncertainly. He knew he could trust Mikasa to be the lookout so they wouldn't let the cat out of the bag.

After a moment, with Eren still on the edge of his seat (and Armin still swamped with woe at the very idea of humiliating someone, even as big of an asshole as Reiner, this way), Mikasa checked and then gave a swift nod. 'Good to go,' she said quietly. 'Just don't do anything stupid,' she whispered before giving his cheek an annoying pinch and walking off to her next class.

Eren rolled his eyes before he grabbed Armin, who was still trying to inconspicuously edge his way toward the boys' bathroom, into peeking around the corner again at the hilarious/tragic scene playing out before them that would change the ranks of popularity in Trost High as they knew them. (...Probably. Then again, Eren tended to be a little dramatic.)

'A-_HAH_!' I knew it! I knew you were a fruit loop, Reiner! Oh man, this is rich.'

When Bert heard this, the universe collapsed and the sky fell down. Mainly because of Reiner's face, and how he looked like someone had just told him that every game this season was canceled or that the cup had gone to Sina.

Great. Someone had been spying on them without them knowing it, for real? Was this some sort of joke? Lately, he had felt like high school was turning into one big episode of 'Sick, Sad World' but this was a whole new level of nightmarish humiliation.

The best line of defense toward a kid like Eren Jaeger - and of course it had to be Jaeger, one of the biggest and most annoying little gossips in their school, too - was to completely ignore the kid. They were seniors and they were getting out of here in less than three months. Fuck this shit. He didn't have to explain himself, neither did Reiner -

'Christ, Jaeger! What'th fuck d'ya think you're doing?!' Oh, well. Reiner happened to be a pretty big hothead, so Eren evidently didn't know what he was getting himself into. Bert sighed, slamming his locker shut. It was still full of posters he had collected from different punk zines and newspaper clippings over the past couple of years. It was going to feel weird, yet simultaneously awesome, not having to see these anymore every morning after he managed to roll out of bed.

And it was going to be even better never having to hear Jeager's voice ever again. This kid seriously had it out for them, didn't he? Shit. Bert felt his ears burn hotly as he kneeled down, trying to pretend they really hadn't just been caught talking about dating while he put his Calc and history books into his backpack. Behind him, Reiner and the kid began arguing pretty stupidly; then suddenly, Bert heard the squeak of high tops on the floor and the ripping of a nylon jacket, and everything spiraled down from there.

It had been a brand new Member's Only windbreaker, and now it was ruined. It was all that Reiner could talk about on the ride home.

They had been hitching a ride with each other since the summer before eleventh grade, when Reiner had finally gotten his license and they had finally really become friends. They had started talking in Pre-Calc when Bert offered to tutor Reiner, even though the guy was far from hospitable and Bert should have been giving a student citizenship award for even trying to talk to him, but Reiner - he ended up being a pretty OK guy. A pretty great guy.

So, it didn't surprise him when Reiner plunged head first into everything and began making out with him when they pulled into his driveway. Thank God, Bert thought as he listened to the way Reiner breathed roughly through his nose, nobody was home. He couldn't handle anything else after what had happened in the hallway earlier. He was dreading going to school after the weekend was over, since Jaeger was bound to start at least ten different rumors by Monday about how they were probably going to have each other's child through a surrogate and artificial insemination and then head to France to get married. Something like that. It almost made Bert laugh a little, though, considering the stupid stuff that kid could come up with. He wouldn't be half-bad if he just minded his own damn business.

But then, it was pretty hard to think straight with Reiner's tongue inside of his mouth, his hand on his leg and a little too close to his crotch. Suddenly, the jeans he had on felt uncomfortably tight, and Reiner was way too passionate of a kisser, just like he was with pretty much everything else in life. He was always coming on too strong, never starting out slow enough, never worried about giving himself a buffer or a chance to adjust (or anyone else, for the matter).

But maybe that was a good thing, because Bert suddenly found himself dropping his inhibitions and kissing him back, hard. He wasn't usually spontaneous in the least, yet here he was, practically sticking his tongue down Reiner's throat like he was somebody else.

Oh well. It was fun - that was all it really was. Even though something in his gut told him otherwise.

Hum was playing on the radio and his head felt dizzy and light. Things felt way too good. They both pulled back after it was too hard to breathe. Bert, ironically enough, found himself getting red in the face after it was over, heat traveling up the back of his neck and stinging at his skin while Reiner tried to act tough. It was just his way. He leaned back in his seat, gripping the steering wheel purposelessly with one hand while rooting for a pack of cigs with the other in his still-ripped jacket.

'Sorry, about earlier. That sucked,' Bert managed, mumbling a little, smoothing back his hair. Reiner had put his fingers through it while they had been kissing, he realized. It had gone over his head a little from the rush of hormones and lust, the suddenness of it. Neither of them looked at each other. The collective vibe in the car basically was something along the lines of, _holy shit, did that really just happen_?; yet it wasn't entirely a bad thing. It was just weirdly…new.

Reiner shrugged, a cig pursed between his lips. He was trying to downplay what he had just done but, it wasn't really working. It was almost a relief to see his cheeks were just barely pink.

'Whatever, it's cool,' he spoke in between holding onto the cig with his lips while reaching for the lighter he kept in the glove. Bert just hoped that he didn't really see how obvious it was that he was still half-hard.

There was a heavy silence and the crackling of the static on the radio between them as Reiner lit up one of his signature Kools. He was the only kid in their grade who played sports and managed to smoke and drink so heavily without it really affecting his performance. Reiner joked once when Bert had asked about it that it was his Russian blood doing him favors that the other 'American piggies' would never have gotten from their ancestors. His weird, sort of twisted sense of humor, it had always been enough to make Bert laugh a little.

'Wanna go in? Nobody's home.' Bert was hoping this wasn't a bad idea. No matter how much he wanted to... get to know Reiner better in _that_ kind of way, which was pretty embarrassing, he wasn't going to throw him a fuck like he was a rebound after getting into a bitch fight with Jaeger. It just wasn't cool. Reiner probably could tell as much, anyway.

But, eventually. Eventually, Bert knew he wouldn't mind - the idea of doing it. Which was kind of weird to think about, so Bert tried not to think about it anymore. He took out his own cigs (Marlboro reds, since he had always been a Marlboro man himself, just like his dad), and lit up with Reiner's lighter. Even though his breathing was still a little shaky, he tried again.

'It's getting way too smokey in here. You think we should-'

'Sure,' Reiner said a little roughly, then got out of the driver's seat. Bert wasn't able to move for a moment, for whatever reason; he just watched as Reiner strode toward his front door, the back of his windbreaker stretched from the fight that had gotten him suspended for two days, a small rip against his shoulder showing his bare skin where his wife beater didn't cover. It made Bert swallow heavily before getting out of the Chevy and slamming the door, maybe with a little too much force.


End file.
